Sunday, February 14, 2010

From an airplane window

Has it ever occurred to you, that you boarded an early morning flight, high on caffeine, with sleep miles away from you, and with all intentions to catch up on sleep while on board…?

Friday morning was one such morning for me…

I so love to be on a window seat, it’s hard to explain! And then the view as you go up and high, higher, and higher… Seeing roads below on the ground, roads as thin as lines on your palm…

Checking in, I settled for the last seat of the A 320 machine, I knew its one seat you couldn’t recline on, I still took it because it was the only window seat available…

Seat next to me was still vacant when they said – boarding full - but the man on aisle seat was one scary figure. Long white beard on dark brown skin, and a paunch…

And then, off we flew… I get a sudden high the moment I realize front wheels have left the ground… is it my love for airplanes or just the excitement of the flight, I am yet to know that.

For the “nth” time, I pictured A waving at me when he saw me off at the airport. The embrace, the look in his eyes and the silence between us…

Once the ground was too far, I shifted focus to the clouds. Sky was the deepest of Blue, but the farthest point showed signs of an early sun. In a few seconds we were above a thick layer of clouds. They looked fluffy and soft. There was a point when all I wanted was to jump off the plane and land on the fluffy clouds. I think the only thing I wanted to survive this landing was Flubber… you’d know what I mean if you have seen the movie…

Spotting another airplane at a distance adds up to my excitement all the time. When I saw one this time, I imagined that someone from the other plane must have noticed us too, and would be glancing just the way I am.

As my gaze shifted from that to the distant sky, what I saw, I think, I won’t get to see again… I saw the Sun rising, coming up gradually, nothing extraordinary about a sunrise, except this was a close-up!

Few minutes later, I noticed the famous Howrah bridge below while I gorged on the Chocó-almond cookie, we were about to descend and I was moving towards the beginning of an indefinitely long stay away from home…

From the city of joy,

With tears welled up in eyes…

Already Homesick…


Sweety. 

14 other zodiacs scribbled:

Brajmohan Kumar said...

Lots to write here,
1) Same pinch here, in my maximum trips I have the same feeling.
2) I love the window seat, once while returning from Pune to Delhi exchanged my seat with a nervous gentleman. :D
3) Most of flights I travelled were A320, so cheers for the machine. And yes, I know the pain of last seat. Once flying through JetLite, a last window seat was allocated.
4) I still feel goose bumps when the flight takes off.
5) I believe "silence speaks more than words".
6) I love watching ground below from skies. Once got chance to see a nearby flight in air, can't say how happy I was.
7) Clouds always fascinate us and a close look when you feel like flying with them is the best moment you can have.
8) I have never been to the city of joy. :((
9) Waiting for more from the city of joy. :))

Metallica bhakt! said...

Its good to know that at times the kid in our hearts never dies!! :)

P said...

Wishing you joy in the city of joy!

the-sagittarian-blogger said...

@Braj,
There's so much common between the two of us!

Sweety.

the-sagittarian-blogger said...

@MB,

It should never die!

Sweety.

the-sagittarian-blogger said...

@Priya

Thanks!

Sweety.

Brajmohan Kumar said...

@Sweety,
Add one more to the similarities, tomorrow I'm leaving for the financial capital of India :))

the-sagittarian-blogger said...

@Braj,

Hv a Safe flight and a fruitful trip!

Sweety.

Brajmohan Kumar said...

@Sweety,

Thanks :))

One more blogger said...

I luv window seat n view frm it... but i totally hate the last seat. And in my trip, I had last seat n journey was horrible. If I will write a blog entry for it Air-India wil surely sue me :D
Away frm city of joy... mus be missng A!hi

the-sagittarian-blogger said...

@ Geetika,

I am in the city of joy, i.e. Kolkata, on a work trip. Gos without saying, I am terribly missing him.

Go on, write about AI, we all are free to voice what we feel, aint it?


Sweety.

Brajmohan Kumar said...

@Geetika,
In future I'll try my best to avoid last row after the latest experience.

:))

One more blogger said...

@sweeety n braj:U knw usually I do web chking evn that is possible for domestic flights now. But AI does nt gove that option. At first AI had small domestic boeing for an International route. I got the last seat jus next to washroom. Seat cannot be pushed back as it was last seat. The TV was not workng! n ppl on flight were really harsh on washroom door, which they banged really hard. It was a nite flight, so no sleep evn. Apart from that, thr ws jus one seat left which was the window seat next to the emergency exit. A moved thr after an hour or so... Evn that seat cannot be pushed back. but it has gt wrkng tv so I moved n saw al crap stuff!! On return, I had Spore Airline Flight it was simply d best. in every sense. the audio/video programs were gr8 n evn thr hospitality!

the-sagittarian-blogger said...

@ Geetika,

All I know right now is that I wanna get back home.... ASAP!!!

Sweety